Wyden Vows to Reverse Medicaid Cuts as Finance Chair
Senator Ron Wyden, set to chair the Senate Finance Committee after Democrats won a 54-seat majority, said Democrats will introduce legislation "immediately" in January to reverse Medicaid cuts from the 2025 tax and spending law known as H.R. 1 and to restore more generous Affordable Care Act subsidies. He specifically cited the nationwide Medicaid work requirement set to begin rolling out January 1, which in Oregon would apply to about 560,000 adults and which the state says contributes to a projected $420 million budget deficit. Wyden did not specify how Democrats would pay for restoring subsidies and coverage but suggested raising effective tax rates on the ultra-wealthy. He acknowledged that undoing H.R. 1 would be difficult and could face a presidential veto.